Which area in Florence?
 

We have never been to Florence and are thinking of booking the hotel Antica Dimora. I have no idea if it is in a good location or not. We stay in the Piazza Navona area in Rome and can walk to most everything. Is there a sort of similar central area in Florence? Thanks.

IMO, the area around the Duomo is most central. We stayed about a half block away from the Duomo and found it to be an ideal location for seeing the sights. However, others prefer to be on the other side of the Arno River.

It's all a matter of preference and since Florence's historic center is so compact, it doesn't really matter where you stay.

I think you will enjoy where this B&B is located. It is a bit out of the center, so you can get away from the mass of tourists near the Duomo (depending on the time of year).

We stay at a hotel 30 minutes from the center - for me the center is Piazza della Signoria - and like the residential feel of the area very much.

I keep wanting to find a hotel or B&B across the Arno, but so far have not found one that appeals to me.

We have stayed smack in the thick of things, a little further out, and I must say that I prefer being in the center.

However, if the Duomo area is too congested for you (and it is pretty crowded) consider Santa Croce, the Oltrarno, or Santissima Annuziata, or San Marco. All in the center, but not so much in the thick of the crowds. 10 minute or so walk to the Duomo from well placed hotels in each neighborhood.

I have visited the Antica Dimora for future reference (charming!), so I know exactly where it is - about 10 mins. on foot from what I would deem the center of things, but not so far off the beaten path that you would be unhappy. It's a little more residential than the Duomo area, which has too much traffic and fuel exhaust for my liking. But it's on the same side of the Arno, where many attractions are located.

hi rbn,

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((I))

As almost everyone has said, Florence is not so large that one cannot walk almost anywhere.

The Antica Dimora, which is a street or two behind San Marco, is not quite as central as something close to the Piazza Navona in Rome. Personally, I consider San Marco one of the four "corners" of central Florence; the other three would be Santa Croce, the Palazzo Pitti (in the Oltrarno) and Santa Maria Novella (near the train station).

You can walk ANYWHERE in Florence easily - it's one of my favorite cities because it is so compact. Every time I go I am surprised by how close all the major sights are....and because the center of town is so touristy...it might be nice to stay slightly out of the center. I'm so jealous! Have a wonderful time.

I agree with the posters above...Florence is compact and it does feel nice to be a little bit away from the city center. San Marco area is wonderful. I googled your hotel and it's charming and very well-priced. Enjoy!

Hotel Silla is a pleasant B&B on the south side of the Arno, just over the Ponte alle Grazie bridge, so it's a convenient walk across the bridge to the Uffizi gallery. It's a very convenient location to visit the Boboli Gardens and Pitti palace, being on the same side of the river with them.

The front desk at Hotel Silla is manned (and womanned?) by excellent staff, always helpful. This is a family-run hotel.

Rooms are okay, comfty but not especially memorable. Breakfast buffet was decent and filling with a variety of choices. (This was on a trip with wonderful breakfast buffets so competition was fierce!)

In a city with expensive accomodations, Hotel Silla is moderately priced, for Florence.

Never get a hotel room near the open market area. All those cart are packed up & taken somewhere overnight. At 5 am or earlier they start rolling up the streets to the market area. If you stay in this area it is unbelievably noisy. We were not warned prior to this.